2026 Calendar: Coming approx. Nov. 10!
Advent and Lent are the two times in the liturgical year when large numbers of Christians do some kind of daily action, read scripture, and/or spend time in prayer or meditation as they prepare for the celebration of Christmas and Easter. Advent also has the distinction of being a time when a secular tradition has evolved that focuses on a daily calendar filled with small gifts (chocolates, Legos, coffee…) for an individual or family to enjoy. Many people appreciate daily rituals that make life more purposeful, spiritual, and connective.
This Advent Calendar was created by us, Iowa Faith & Climate Network. We hope it provides you with a meaningful way to celebrate the seasons of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany. The formatting has intentionally been kept simple for greater flexibility of use in a variety of settings.
Some Ways to Use this Advent Calendar.
1. Use it as an individual or as a family.
- Print a copy and read it during breakfast. During dinner, reflect on or talk about the action.
- Post a copy on your fridge. Add your initials once you’ve read the daily reflection and taken action. It’s not a competition, though…just a simple ritual to keep everyone engaged.
- Send the items to family members by text, or share them on your social media.
2. Create a downloadable Advent and Christmas guide for your congregation.
- Include worship services, special events, giving opportunities, and so on.
- Make copies available for individuals who don’t have access to a printer.
- Share them in Facebook groups, Nextdoor, etc. to get the wider community engaged.
3. Use these as social media prompts.
- Add relevant images from your congregation, from stock image subscriptions, or from free images sites such as freeverse.com, unsplash.com, pexels.com, pixabay.com or others. For a list of sites with inclusive images, see: https://bit.ly/inclusiveimages.
- Find links to supporting articles that allow people to explore the facts or concepts.
4. Send them to members each morning as a text message.
5. Collaborate with other congregations.
- The climate crisis is something all of us need to tackle together, so collaborate on a wider effort that involves other local congregations, nonprofits, youth groups, etc.
6. Combine this with a congregational study and/or sermon series.
- Advent studies seldom have a theme connected to the environment and creation care, but you can use and adapt this calendar to go with other books or studies. Better yet: pair this calendar with our climate-themed Bible study, Growing Faith. While it wasn’t created for a specific time in the liturgical year, it’s free, downloadable, easy to lead, and includes themes like hope and preparation that connect with Advent.
Copyright Notice
You are welcome to use and adapt this Advent Calendar to suit your needs. Feel free to rewrite entries to better fit your denominational theology or any other emphases you wish to focus on. However, permission is not given to repurpose the content of this document for paid purposes. Also, while you are not required to give credit to Iowa Faith & Climate Network on a daily basis, we do ask that you use a statement similar to the following in an appropriate way, such as in a footer in a printed calendar or at the start and end of Advent when used on social media.
These Advent Calendar reflections and activities were created by and used with the permission of Iowa Faith & Climate Network, iowafaithandclimate.org.
Questions? Reach out to us at iowafaithandclimate.org.